Manufacturers to get a research boost

Supported by the Commonwealth Government, the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) is calling for Australian manufacturers to submit their project ideas, with the new $4 million Advanced Manufacturing Early Stage Research Fund (AMESRF) to help take their concepts to the next level.

The fund will run from 2017/2018 to 2020/2021 with up to $1 million available in annual funding allocation to back industry-led, small scale and pilot research projects, with an emphasis on fast, tangible results. Assistance per project will be between $100,000 and $400,000, matched with industry cash contributions 1:1, and will help smaller firms move an idea more quickly to larger-scale research or commercialisation.

“Companies with promising ideas needing a nudge up the Technology Readiness Level scale should submit their expressions of interest in this new program,” said the AMGC’s managing director Dr Jens Goennemann.

“As with the larger projects supported by the AMGC Project Fund, successful projects will align with the growth centre’s strategic priorities for advancing Australian manufacturing, and help companies transform in areas such as technical leadership and servitisation.”

The focus for the AMESRF is on projects with a Manufacturing Readiness Level and/or Technology Readiness Level of between 1 and 4. Successful expression of interests will be invited to prepare a full application.

Funding for the four-year grants program was announced in the context of the 2017/2018 Budget as part of the $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund.